Joseph Alexander Glass and Mary Ann Elizabeth Heald – Ruth Glass’ Great-grandparents
Joseph Alexander Glass was born on December 13, 1818, in
Charleston, South Carolina. He married Mary Ann Elizabeth
Heald on January 30, 1842, in Monroe, Walton, Georgia. Five
of their seven children were born in Georgia, including
William Henry Glass in 1847. Sometime before 1854, the
family moved to De Kalb, Alabama1, where he was a member of
Wellington Lodge No 151.7 The 1860 census shows him as a
house carpenter and living in Blainsville, St Clair,
Alabama; this census shows him being born in North Carolina,
which is an error.2 This is where Pathena Glass was born on
June 2, 1854; Pathena raised Samuel Glass, later lived in
Salt Lake City, and died in Dolores, Colorado.4 Joseph died
in Larkinsville, Alabama on May 4, 1864, before the Civil
War ended and was buried with Masonic honors, “being one of
the oldest Masons in Georgia”.7 At his death, the family
lived in Larkinsville. 1
Mary Ann Elizabeth Heald was born on November 6, 1821, in
Athens, Georgia, north of Atlanta. 1 At the age of seventeen
she joined the Methodist Church.7
Before the Civil War, her young family moved to Alabama. On
December 1, 1864 and shortly after her husband’s death, the
family arrived in St Louis, Missouri. Around 1890, she moved
to Raines County Texas, where she became a Baptist, as she
was living in a community where there was no church of her
faith.7 An affidavit for Pension Benefits shows her living
in Raines County, Texas in 1896 and indicated that she was
probably illiterate; she signed the affidavit with an “X”.
Being a southerner, she called the Union Army the Federal
Army on this affidavit.3
She moved to Dolores, Colorado in April 1899 where she
resided with her daughter Laura, on the ranch of Mat Koehn,
her son-in-law. The obituary notice in the Silver Star
reported the following: “She [Mary] was a kind, loving and
devoted wife and mother and one of her greatest and highest
aims in life to care for the sick and the distressed--a
noble care for the sick and distressed--a noble quality
worthy of the best endeavors of all.” 7 She died in Dolores,
Montezuma, Colorado on May 23, 1900, at the age of 78, from
a serious cold and congestion of the liver.1 According to
her death certificate, she was buried on the Koehn ranch,
two miles east of Dolores.7 In 2006, there was a marker at
the Summit Ridge Cemetery in Dolores, she may have been
disinterred.
The Heald’s genealogy is extensive. Around 1697, the Healds
left England, settled in Pennsylvania, and were Puritans. 1
The earliest known Heald is Geffrey Heald who died in 1586
in 1594 in Mobberly, Cheshire, England. Emma Hale Smith
(wife of Joseph Smith Jr.) descended from John Heald who was
born in 1619 in Mobberly, Cheshire, England and Thomas Heald
who was born in 1588 in Alderly, Cheshire, England (LDS
Church Ancestry File). Mary Ann Elizabeth descended from
Thomas Heald who was born in 1622 in Mobberly, Cheshire,
England, the same city as John Heald. While one web page
indicates they are related, this is not clear. Geffrey Heald
could be our link to Emma; the LDS Church Ancestry File does
not go back a needed generation to Geffrey Heald. John Heald
and Thomas Heald could be either brothers or cousins, being
born in the same time frame and in the same place. 2
Another great-grandmother, Margery Gregg was born in 1784 in
New Castle, Delaware. Her genealogy goes to John “Black”
Greg in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland; he was born in 1534 in
Ireland. 1 Black’s ancestry continues for 166 generations.
Being Scottish Royalty in 1100, a king could conjure his
genealogy back to 200 B.C. Fun names include Doungheal
MacGregor in 1206, William “Earl” of Murray Canmore in
1100’s, Duncab II “King” of Scots in 1080, Duncan I “the
Gracious King” of Scots in 1007, Dommal II “King” of Alba in
900, and so forth. 6 The information after John “Black” Greg
may be inaccurate, but it gives the family bragging rights.
2 So men of the family, put on your tartan kilt, play your
bagpipe, hate the dam English, and remember that a Scotchman
never wears anything under his kilt. 5
Sources:
1. Ancestral File submitted by Bob Vernon, #AF97-105810,
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from original
source of Heald Family Book, Page 41.
2. LDS Church, IGI, family file for Joseph Smith, Jr.
3. The National Archives, Certificate Number 5819, Johanna
Rosner, Widow of veteran Enos Rosner and Widow’s Declaration
for Pension for William H. Glass
4. Verbal history by Marjorie White Thomsen
5. Richard W Thomsen kissed the blarney stone in Blarney,
Ireland in 2003
6. Google search for “House of Midgard”, or http://mariah.stonemarche.org.
7. Obituary Notice, Mary Glass, The Silver Star, Dolores,
Colorado, May 25, 1900,
Written by Richard W. Thomsen
Downtown Monroe, Walton, Georgia in 2005
Walton County Courthouse in Monroe, Georgia
General Affidavit with Mary Heald’s “mark” on April 4, 1896, established that Johanna Murphy was married to William Glass who was Mary’s son. Because of the X, it may be concluded that Mary could not write and that she was illiterate. This affidavit was used by Johanna Murphy to get a pension as a widow of a Civil War Veteran.